Chapter 2 – What Is Your Name?

Pei Yu was awakened by a chill that seeped into his very marrow.

He quickly realized the cold radiated from beneath him; his damp clothes clung to the hard, frigid floor, offering a sensation that could hardly be called comfortable. His hands were pinned behind his back. He tried to move, only to find his wrists bound tight by soft rope, offering no chance of escape.

Propped against the wall, he surveyed his surroundings. He was in a dimly lit room where no lights were turned on; the moonlight filtering through the window cast a hazy, ethereal glow like a silken veil. Beyond the glass of the entrance, a rolling shutter had been pulled nearly to the floor, leaving a gap less than a foot wide. 

Judging by the play of light and shadow, it resembled a street-side shop, yet the area was desolate and silent, devoid of any human presence. It did not border a bustling market, but rather a decaying alleyway.

The space was large, yet the furnishings were simple—austere, even. A single table, a chair, a cabinet, and a bed. The table was cluttered with a chaotic mess of papers and documents, as if the office and living quarters had been forced into one. A bed sat against the wall, while a corridor on the other side led to what seemed to be a bathroom, from which came the rhythmic splashing of water.

On the windowsill sat an hourglass, the room’s sole decoration. Perhaps it had sat there too long; the dark sand was stagnant, as silent as death, forming a peculiar contrast with the clock on the wall where the hands endlessly chased one another. 

The rain had subsided significantly, its pitter-patter against the window frame sounding light and rhythmic, like a song of survival after a catastrophe.

Sensing his legs were free, Pei Yu was about to try and stand when the sound of water in the inner room stopped. Shortly after, a set of light footsteps approached him.

“You’re awake.”

Even though the other man had changed his clothes and his cap and mask were gone, Pei Yu instantly recognized him as the “black car driver” from his voice and silhouette. Without the obstructions, his voice carried an even stronger boyish quality. 

Pei Yu took a brief measurement: estimated height around 178 centimeters, weight not exceeding 61 kilograms. As for age, he preliminary guessed around twenty-two.

This was an abnormal sensitivity to quantifiable traits—height, mass, and the like—honed over five years of work and exactly one thousand corpses. The stranger was neither taller nor heavier than him; dragging a conscious, grown man into a car and then hauling him into a room would have been no small feat.

The situation being what it was, overthinking was useless. Pei Yu pulled up one leg and leaned back, waiting for the other to speak.

“Your property, returned to its rightful owner.” The youth shook a phone in his hand with a bright smile. He crouched down and slipped it into Pei Yu’s trouser pocket. “A little water got in just now, but I’ve already cleaned it.”

Having said that, he gave a casual wave of his hand.

“No need to thank me. It’s what I should have done.”

Pei Yu said nothing, merely staring coldly at the person before him.

The youth leaned closer. Aided by the moonlight, Pei Yu was finally able to see his face clearly. It was a face rich with youth. The curves of his brow and eyes were beautifully formed; his jawline was delicate and refined. He possessed a perfect balance of handsomeness and softness, ensuring he did not look too rugged, yet was not overbearingly frail. Beneath such a skin surely lay a magnificent skull.

“Forensic doctor, Pei Yu.”

The youth spoke with absolute certainty.

Pei Yu did not answer. The youth’s hand reached toward his shoulder, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“I’m not nearsighted, and the car didn’t stall.”

Pei Yu tilted his head to the side, attempting to avoid the hand. The youth only laughed more brilliantly, his voice dropping to a lower register. It carried a strange, vibrating quality as it hit the ear.

“I didn’t expect Brother Pei to be so handsome. Your real self is even better than your ID photo.” The hand retracted, brushing away a stray droplet of water that hung from a lock of hair, refusing to fall. “Do you want to know why I lured you here?”

“What is your name?”

Ignoring the youth’s subtle attempts at allure, Pei Yu spoke tonelessly.

The smile on the youth’s lips faded slightly. Pei Yu sensed a flicker of something unreadable in the gaze fixed upon him.

“What is your name?” he asked once more, stubbornly.

“You should know that no one ever asks a kidnapper ‘What is your name’ as their first question.”

Pei Yu looked back at the youth. A layer of intrigued, shimmering light gradually rose in the other’s eyes, sparkling amidst the moonlit room. After a few seconds of confrontation, the youth gave in.

“Shen Xingchen.”

“Xing as in ‘to travel,’ Chen as in ‘treasure.’ My name.”

Pei Yu gave a slight nod, his face remaining expressionless.

Shen Xingchen stared at him intently. That deep, unfathomable, and probing expression caused Pei Yu’s heart to skip a beat for no reason. The thick fog along the banks of the River Styx swirled in his mind once more.

“Do you want to sleep with me?” Shen Xingchen leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Sincerity and mockery were evenly matched in his tone, making it impossible to tell which reigned.

Pei Yu stared straight back, unmoving and silent.

Long afterward, when Pei Yu would pin Shen Xingchen down onto the dissection table and recall their first meeting, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of confusion…

What exactly did he like about this person.

Did he like his madness, or his volatility?

Did he like how the man wanted to jump into bed the very moment they met?

Truly, worldly affairs are unpredictable, and the cycle of fate rests in the hands of the heavens.

Shen Xingchen lowered his voice even further, leaning almost into his ear. Amidst that half-real, half-fake smile was a hint of encouragement, a certain irresistible force.

“Give me one time, and I’ll let you go.”

Fair fingertips tangled with obsidian buttons; a subtle fragrance began to diffuse through the air. Cedar, sea spray, neroli, musk. From that scent where lust and asceticism intertwined, Pei Yu sensed both ambiguity and danger.

“I never waste my time on the living.”

He spoke with unmasked arrogance.

“What a coincidence.” Shen Xingchen let out a soft laugh and drew even closer. With a flick of his fingers, a delicate, sharp blade was pressed against the side of Pei Yu’s neck. The pressure gradually deepened.

“Neither do I.”

It was the tactile sensation of a blade and the scent of blood that Pei Yu knew all too well. In the past five years, a thousand corpses had fallen apart under his scalpel, only to be stitched back together.

The smooth, elegant lines of Pei Yu’s exposed neck shared a lingering, desperate embrace with the sharp, thin blade held between Shen Xingchen’s fingers, resulting in the seepage of a delirious, crimson bead of blood.

The slight sting caused a crack to finally appear in his frozen expression. After a nearly imperceptible frown, he remained as steady as a mountain, staring at Shen Xingchen without blinking.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” Shen Xingchen’s lips curled into a gentle, shimmering smile.

Pei Yu glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

“In the past hour and eighteen minutes, you have had countless opportunities to strike, but you haven’t.” He stated calmly, “Therefore, you won’t.”

“Very good.” Shen Xingchen laughed. The curve of his lips was light and shallow, like the petals of a flower blooming at night.

The pressure of the cold blade at his neck vanished as the weapon was retracted. Pei Yu felt the other man reach out and gently wipe away the bead of blood from his neck.

In the next second, the color on his fingertip was slowly smeared across the youth’s own lips. The movement was slow and graceful, as if he were applying a precious lipstick.

“Now, I am officially interested in you.”

The metallic sweetness unique to living blood permeated every molecule of the air. Pei Yu watched that smear of scarlet on the youth’s lips, which complemented his bright eyes and white teeth. Bathed in the half-light of the moon, he possessed a cold, bewitching beauty.

What a fine red rose, a pity it was hollowed out by insects. Pei Yu gave a cold snort in his heart, his face remaining void of emotion.

“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.”